MLB Player News

Gausman allowed only two hits while walking two and striking out six across nine scoreless innings Saturday against the Athletics but did not factor into the decision.

Gausman had his stuff working Saturday, as he allowed only four baserunners in nine innings despite only 66 of his 113 pitches going for strikes. He also started just 13 of the 31 batters he faced with a strike, but it didn't come back to haunt him in this outing either via walks or hard contact. Since getting smacked around for six earned runs in his season debut, Gausman has not allowed more than three earned runs in any of his next six starts and now owns a nice 3.30 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP through 43.2 innings.

Hammel (0-4) struck out five but took the loss against the Tigers on Saturday, giving up three runs on 10 hits and a walk over 6.2 innings.

Hammel threw 71 of 100 pitches for strikes in recording his fourth quality start in seven outings this season, but the Royals' anemic offense has kept him out of the win column. He'll take a 4.78 ERA into his next start Friday in Cleveland.

Morton allowed three earned runs on three hits while walking four and striking out three across five innings Saturday against the Diamondbacks. He did not factor into the decision.

Morton got off to a wild start Saturday, walking four of the first six batters he faced, but he escaped the inning having allowed only one earned run. He then settled in until the fifth inning, when he gave up a double to pitcher Zack Greinke, who was driven in by the next batter. This was one of Morton's worst starts of the season, which speaks to how well he has pitched through his first seven outings. He'll look to bounce back in his next opportunity, which should come against the Rangers.

Eovaldi (elbow) fired 17 pitches -- 13 for strikes -- in his first rehab outing with High-A Charlotte on Friday night, allowing a run on two hits over one inning against Bradenton.

It was a solid first step for Eovaldi, who got his work in without any apparent setbacks. Manager Kevin Cash was clear about what he envisions as the next steps for the hard-throwing veteran, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports. "He'll get on a five-man rotation," Cash said. "He'll throw a bullpen. And then the next time a two [innings] and 35 [pitches] session, whatever comes first."

Hamels allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits while walking two and striking out five across six innings Saturday against the Red Sox. He did not factor into the decision.

Hamels was impressive against one of the more dangerous lineups in the league, with the only big blow coming from a two-run homer by Mitch Moreland in the fifth inning. His velocity remained steady from his previous start, and he was also deceptive, generating 14 swinging strikes. He has experienced a surprising strikeout resurgence this season, posting a 52:18 K:BB over 45.1 innings.

Rodriguez allowed five earned runs on four hits while walking two and striking out 10 across six innings Saturday against the Rangers. He did not factor into the decision.

Rodriguez was burned by the long ball, giving up two home runs to Joey Gallo and a three-run homer to Delino DeShields. Home runs hadn't been an issue for him entering Saturday's start, so this may be just an isolated problem for one start that came in a relatively home-run-friendly park. His 10 strikeouts shouldn't be completely overshadowed by his otherwise poor start, as he continues to miss plenty of bats and now has 39 strikeouts through 32.1 innings this season.

Gray improved to 2-2 on the season by throwing six innings Saturday against Cleveland, giving up two runs on four hits and a pair of walks while striking out seven.

It's the second straight positive start for Gray, who also gave up two runs on four hits in six innings last time out against the Astros. His ERA still sits at 6.00 for the season, though, after several poor starts in April. He'll look to keep things rolling Friday against Oakland.

Rodriguez was activated from the family medical leave list and will take the hill against Texas on Saturday.

Rodriguez, who was away from the team for the past few days while dealing with a family issue, will not be forced to miss a start as he's back with the Red Sox ahead of his sixth outing of the season. Through 26.1 innings of work, he's logged a 4.78 ERA and 1.33 WHIP with a 29:11 K:BB. In a corresponding move, the club optioned Bobby Poyner to Triple-A Pawtucket.

Berrios (3-3) went six innings for the win Friday over the White Sox, allowing four runs on six hits while striking out two and walking two.

Berrios gave up a two-run homer to Jose Abreu in the first and later surrendered an RBI groundout and another home run -- a solo shot by Leury Garcia -- to account for the runs allowed. After a couple rough outings in which he allowed nine runs in seven combined innings and couldn't get past the fourth inning in either start, Friday's performance was a definite improvement for the young righty. His next start will be a matchup with the Angels in Los Angeles.

Cole (3-1) got the win in a dominant, complete-game shutout of the Diamondbacks on Friday, giving up just one hit, striking out 16 batters and walking one as the Astros won 8-0.

Cole continued his utterly torrid start to the season against Arizona, becoming the second pitcher in the league to strike out 16 hitters in a game this season just a day after Seattle's James Paxton accomplished the same feat. Cole hasn't just been dominant to start his Houston career, he's been virtually unhittable, logging double-digit strikeouts in five of his seven starts for a ballistic 77:9 K:BB to go along with his 1.42 ERA and 0.69 WHIP. Quite simply, that's a Cy Young-caliber start that has made him one of the most valuable fantasy pitchers so far and he's showing no signs of slowing down. He'll look to continue this stellar run in his next start against Oakland on Wednesday.